Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a wavefront sensor for detecting wavefront slopes or tilts along two orthogonal directions, and more particularly pertains to a simple, while light wavefront sensor of the aforementioned type which is particularly sensitive and suitable for use in a real-time image compensation system.
The field of active optics technology can be applied to high performance optical systems which encounter or are subject to random disturbances such as vibration, thermal transients or atmospheric turbulence. Active optics technology can be applied to laser beam control systems and compensated imaging systems. For instance, concerning the latter types of systems, the resolution of ground based optical imaging systems is frequently severely limited by random wavefront tilts and phase changes produced by atmospheric turbulence. The resolution of such optical systems can usually be improved considerably if the atmospheric distortion is measured and corrected in real-time before recording the image on tape or film.
The pertinent prior art to the present invention is discussed, infra, with reference to the prior art systems illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, and accordingly is not being reviewed further in this section.